Ephram and Amy: Lessons in Life and Love
by TenorChick
Summary: UPDATED! It's Ephram and Amy's senior year, and things are going perfectly...or so it seems. Is Amy pregnant? Whatever happened to Madison? And a few more twists and surprises along the way as well! Read and review please!
1. Default Chapter

_So yeah, I've written some other stories, but this is the first time i've ever posted one of them on fanfiction. Just a disclaimer, I own none of the characters, just the idea for this story. I would love to get some feedback, so read and review please!!_

**Ephram's POV**

My senior year of high school is a year that I'll never forget. It's the year I finally got the girl of my dreams, Amy Abbot, and then almost lost her. I learned about responsibility, and about making decisions that would affect me for the rest of my life. I can't even begin to describe how much I grew up in that one year. So much of it was horrible, but it helped shape me into the person I am today. I learned to trust, to accept reality, and to realize that however hard something may seem, everything does, in fact, happen for a reason.

This is my story. I share it with you not for pleasure or fame, but in the hope that maybe there's a lesson to be learned, not just by me, but for everyone.

**Chap 1.**

_**December 2004**_

"So my parents are going to be out of town for the weekend. Wanna come over tomorrow night and hang out?"

Ephram Brown shut his locker and smiled. The question, directed at him, came from none other than his girlfriend and love of his life, Amy Abbot.

Despite the fact that he was madly in love with her, he was still a big tease sometimes. He pretended to look serious as he said "Well, I'll have to check my schedule. You know how many offers I get for Saturday nights."

"Ephram!" Amy cried. She laughed and lightly punched him on the arm as they headed towards their last period classes.

"Come on, you know I'm joking. What time should I come?"

"Well my parents are leaving tomorrow morning for Boulder, so really whenever you can pull yourself away from that piano of yours." Amy smiled at Ephram with a look of feigned innocence and said "We'll have the house to ourselves you know."

With that thought in both of their minds the bell rang, forcing them to part with a quick kiss and promises to talk on the phone that night.

Ephram sat through his English class barely paying attention to the discussion the students were having on the most recent homework assignment. Instead, his thoughts were filled, as usual, with Amy. They had "officially" been together now for almost five months, though it had been seven since they had first expressed their feelings for each other. In those months Ephram had soared higher than he ever thought possible. He loved Amy with all his heart, and knew that they were meant to be together forever. His fling with Madison had been nothing more than physical attraction and teenage hormones. He didn't regret their time together, in fact in some ways he cherished it because he grew so much during that time and after the breakup. But now that he was with Amy, he was able to see how little his last relationship had meant to either one of them.

As his mind wandered with thoughts of Amy, he remembered the look she had given him as they parted before class. _We'll have the house to ourselves_, she had said. There were so many connotations that statement could have, but yet, something seemed different in her eyes that time. Ephram and Amy had talked about taking the next step in their relationship, but nothing had come of it yet. Granted, there were very few opportunities when they were truly alone, but maybe tomorrow would be it. He was ready, having been with Madison, but was she? It would be her first time, and it had to be meaningful, not in a car at The Point like his first time had been.

Ephram jumped as the final bell rang. He hadn't even noticed how much time had passed. After gathering his books and checking the homework assignment on the board, he stopped quickly at his locker, and then headed for the elementary school a few blocks away to pick up his eleven year old sister Delia. He still marveled at the simplicity of life at that age. In Delia's world, if you decided you didn't like your best friend anymore, you simply switched to a new one. Her biggest decision of the day was choosing whether to have dad make her a peanut butter or a turkey sandwich for lunch. _But on the other hand,_ Ephram thought, _she doesn't get to experience a great relationship with someone she truly loves._ With that thought, he decided he'd rather be eighteen than eleven any day.

Ephram spent that evening babysitting Delia while their father was busy catching up on records at the office. Of course, he would have much rather preferred to go out with Amy, but she was spending the evening with her family at Edna and Irv's place. So while he was stuck at home he did the next best thing: practice the piano. His Julliard audition tape was due right after the holidays, so any spare time he had was spent in the studio.

Around nine o'clock the phone rang. Ephram, of course, couldn't hear it, being in the sound-proof garage, but he was interrupted in the middle of a Chopin nocturne by his younger sister's pounding on the door.

"Ephram!" she screeched, "It's your girlfriend!!"

Within seconds Ephram had whisked the phone away and shut the door in Delia's face without a word. For the next three hours he and Amy talked, only hanging up when they both practically dozed off over the phone. Nothing more had been said about the next night except to confirm their plans, but it was quite obvious what was going through both of their minds, and they both knew that they were ready for that next big step.

Just after six the next night Ephram pulled up in front of Amy's house, anxious for what could possibly be the most important thing he'd ever done. However, when he rang the bell it was not Amy's smile that greeted him, rather a "Whassup dude!" from her older brother Bright. Seeing him at home was a shock, because the last time Bright had stayed home on a weekend was during Amy's period of depression the previous year. He considered himself quite the ladies man, and anywhere he could get some action, he took it.

Seconds later Amy hurried into the foyer and practically threw herself into Ephram's arms. Even though it had only been a day since they'd seen each other, it felt like forever. That was how much she loved this kid. However, it was rather difficult to say all you wanted to say to your boyfriend when your brother was standing right there watching every move you made around him.

"Uhh, Bright?" Amy said tentatively, "Don't you have a date to night or something?"

Bright shook his head. "Nope. I've got my orders from mom and dad that you guys aren't supposed to be here alone."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Do you actually think we're going to do anything stupid?"

"Hey, you never know. Teenagers these days can get pretty crazy."

Finally, after a few more minutes of arguing between Bright and Amy, a quick phone call to one of the girls on his "date list" and a warning towards Amy and Ephram to "be smart but have fun," Bright left. Ephram and Amy settled down on the couch for a movie marathon.

After watching _Top Gun_, followed by _Serendipity_, the two were getting rather restless. They headed into Amy's room even though it was against her dad's rules, turned on the CD Ephram had made Amy for their two month anniversary, and began to dance. Slow song after slow song permeated through the room, and they danced. For nearly an hour they did nothing but sway back and forth in time to the music and savor being in each other's arms.

During a lull as the CD switched tracks, Amy looked into her boyfriend's eyes. "I love you Ephram," she said, never meaning the words as much as that moment.

"I love you too, Amy."

They began to kiss, with more passion as time passed. Without even thinking of what they were about to do, they fell back onto Amy's bed and continued to kiss and build up steam. It was then that Ephram heard the words he'd been dreaming of for months.

"Ephram, I'm ready."

He pulled back for a second to look at his girlfriend, make sure he had heard her correctly.

"You sure?" he asked. Amy nodded. There was a look of fear in her face, but Ephram knew that with all she had been through, she wouldn't rush into something like this.

They moved slowly, savoring the thrill of being together for the first time. When it was finally over, the sounds of Trisha Yearwood coming from Amy's stereo lulled them to sleep in each other's arms. It was a night that would remain in both of their memories forever.

_Should i continue? Constructive criticism is appreciated!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chap 2. Chap 2.**

_**January 2005**_

It had been just over a month since Amy and Ephram had been together, and despite what people say about relationships becoming more difficult once sex comes into the picture, the two were no worse for wear. In fact, they had almost been driven closer together due to what had happened between them. However, the two got a taste of reality near the end of January, when Amy began to get overworked with school, college, and life in general.

_Beep, beep, beep..._The annoying buzz of the alarm clock pulled Amy from her sleep. She groaned and reached to hit the snooze button. As she did so, however, a wave of nausea passed through her. She dashed into the bathroom, barely making it in time to throw up into the toilet.

Mrs. Abbot had just woken up when she heard her daughter pass outside her bedroom door. Concerned, she got out of bed and followed Amy to the bathroom.

"Amy honey, are you alright?" she called.

"I'm fine, mom, be out in a minute," Amy replied. But when she thought she was finally done, her stomach told her otherwise and she leaned back over the toilet.

Finally, nearly five minutes later, she opened the bathroom door to find her mother standing there, eyes filled with concern. Mrs. Abbot opened her mouth to say something, but Amy held up her hand.

"I'm fine mom, don't worry," she said. "I probably just had a bad burrito last night or something. Ephram and I went to Casa Sanchez for dinner."

But Mrs. Abbot was unsure. "You look really pale, dear. I think you should stay home and get some rest today."

Amy shook her head. "Can't skip school today. Test in AP Physics."

"Fine, but take it easy, sweetheart. And come home right after school."

Amy agreed, and then went to get dressed. She only had a few minutes before Ephram would come pick her up.

Unbeknownst to her mother, this wasn't the first time in the last week Amy had felt sick and worn down. Two days prior, she had skipped gym simply because she didn't feel like she would have enough energy to make it through the class period. Instead, she had gone to the library where she had ended up falling asleep as she tried to study for her math test. And besides that, last Tuesday night she had spent half an hour in the bathroom throwing up.

_Mom doesn't need to know about those things_, Amy thought as she got ready for school. _I've just been a little under the weather. I'll be fine in a few days._

But she wasn't. In fact, as the week progressed she started feeling worse. She became better at hiding it from her mother, but Mrs. Abbot still commented on how Amy was "working herself too hard" and "needed to slow down a little." But between the advanced classes she was taking, trying to finish up college applications, and finding time to spend with Ephram, Amy didn't have time to slow down. She still was trying to convince herself that she just had a bug that would blow over.

But later that week Amy got the biggest scare of her life when she started to realize that what she was dealing with might be a lot more than stress and being rundown.

Thursday afternoon Amy went to her father's office to help him go through records. She was almost finished when she overheard two women sitting in the waiting area talking to each other.

"Yeah, I'm about five months along," one said to the other. "The nausea has gone away for the most part, but I still feel really rundown, and I don't have much energy a lot of the time."

The other woman smiled sympathetically and said "Oh, just you wait. Think you're tired now? Wait until that kid comes. You'll wish you'd never have done the deed in the first place."

Amy felt the color drain from her face as she continued listening. _Rundown and has no energy,_ she thought._ Nausea. Oh my God. I'm pregnant!_

Without thinking, she left the last few charts sitting on the desk and dashed outside. She didn't stop running until she had reached her own home and the safety of her bedroom. She collapsed on her bed and immediately started crying.

_What the hell am I supposed to do?_ She thought. _I'm seventeen! If I'm pregnant my life is over. I'll turn into one of those girls that people talk about to their kids twenty years from now, the "girl who got pregnant our senior year." Oh my god, I'm so scared right now._ And with that thought she fell into a fitful sleep.

A few hours later Amy woke to the sound of her parents' voices in their bedroom across the hall.

"I'm worried about her, Harold. She's been so tired lately. I try to talk to her but she insists that everything's fine. I found her sound asleep when I got home this afternoon. I can't remember the last time she's slept during the day besides when she's been sick."

"Rose," Dr. Abbot said, "She's probably just very stressed out. It's her senior year of high school. You remember being a senior don't you?"

Amy didn't bother to listen to the rest of the conversation. She had too much on her mind without factoring in what her parents might say if they figured out what she hoped wasn't going on. She needed to talk to someone, but she had no idea who. Her only semi-close girl friend was Hannah, but no way could she talk to her about something like this. Laynie was gone, and all her other girl friends had basically walked out on her during her dark days the past year. Her best friend now was Ephram, but she didn't want to talk to him, at least not yet. She sighed, realizing who her only other real option was.

_Knock, knock_. Amy rapped on the door of an apartment across town where she hoped she might be able to get some advice. After waiting a minute, the door opened and she stood face to face with her older brother.

"Hey, little sis, what's up?" Bright asked in his usual easygoing manner.

"I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"

"Sure, what's going on?"

Amy set her purse down on the counter, and then settled herself down on the worn couch Bright had found at a garage sale over the summer. He sat in a chair across from her, his eyes giving away his curiosity.

Amy took a deep breath. This was not going to be easy, especially because it meant sharing a secret that know one besides she and Ephram knew.

"Bright, do you remember that weekend last month when mom and dad had gone to Boulder and you were supposed to stay at home with Ephram and me but we sorta kicked you out?"

Bright nodded. He had an idea of what his younger sister might be about to tell him, but knew that he had to let her say it herself. After waiting for it for just a moment, he heard Amy's first major secret.

"Well, that night, Ephram and I sorta...umm..." Amy stopped, unable to come out and admit what had happened.

"You guys slept together didn't you?" Bright said quietly.

Amy nodded. She was surprised at how little embarrassment she felt at admitting this to her older brother. Granted, it wasn't like he was a virgin himself, far from it in fact, but the fact was that she was telling her brother a lot more about her private life now than she had in the past.

Bright opened his mouth to say something, but Amy stopped interrupted him.

"There's more, Bright," she said. She knew this was the harder part, but if she didn't talk to him about it she had no where else to turn. "The thing is, I've been feeling like shit lately. Really tired, nauseous, I have absolutely no energy. I'm afraid that I might be..." she faltered, but it didn't matter. Bright knew right away what she was trying to say.

"Pregnant?"

Again, Amy answered him with a nod. She tried to say something more, but as she attempted to speak she started crying. She was so scared, so afraid that this whole thing might actually be true. If so, her life was over.

Bright just sat on the chair across from Amy, staring at her, completely at a loss for what to do as she sobbed her eyes out. After contemplating the options, he got up, picked up the phone, and dialed the number of the Browns.

"Hey, Ephram, it's Bright," he said. "Listen, Amy's over at my apartment, but she needs to talk to you real bad. Think you could stop by, say, right now?"

Ephram agreed, and within ten minutes was standing outside Bright's apartment. He had no idea what he would find when he came inside, but the sight of Amy crying her eyes out on Bright's couch was not what he had in mind. He caught Bright's eye, but Bright merely shrugged and headed for the door, leaving Ephram alone with Amy.

He went and sat down next to her on the worn couch, where she simply leaned into him and started to cry even harder.

"Amy," he said, starting to get a little scared. "Amy, what's going on?"

"Ephram," she sobbed into his shirt. "I don't know what to do. I'm so scared. I think I might be pregnant."

Ephram felt as if his heart had skipped a beat. "D-d-did you just say you think you might be pregnant?"

Amy nodded, and cried even harder.

"What makes you think that? Have you taken a test, been to see a doctor, anything?"

"It's just how I've been feeling lately, Ephram. Tired, run-down, I have no energy. Plus I've been throwing up in the morning a few times, and my last period was really light, come to think of it."

_Damn,_ thought Ephram. _How could I have been so stupid? We weren't ready to have sex. We're still in high school for god's sake!_ But of course he didn't say any of this to Amy. He knew it would only upset her further. He did manage, however, to ask if she had seen a doctor yet.

"I haven't," she answered. By this time she had stopped crying and was starting to calm down a little. Ephram was grateful, for now they could talk and make some plans as to what to do next.

"Alright," Ephram said after they had sat in silence for a few moments. "The first and biggest thing we have to do is find out if this is true or not."

"How am I supposed to do that, Ephram?" Amy said snappishly. She was starting to get moody, which was never a good sign. "I mean, our dads are the two doctors in this town. I could take one of those home test things, but I need a real doctor to know for sure, and I sure as hell am not going to my dad or yours."

Ephram was silent for a minute as he contemplated this dilemma.

"Planned Parenthood," he said suddenly. "There's one in Denver, right?"

Amy nodded. "But when are we supposed to find time to drive to Denver?" she wondered. "We can't just skip classes."

"Who says we can't?"

And with that statement, it was decided. The next day, Friday, Ephram would pick Amy up like normal, but instead of going to school, they'd drive to Denver and find out for sure if Amy's suspicions were true.

That night, Ephram lay awake in bed for hours, unable to get to sleep. He knew that tomorrow could be one of the most important days of his life. If Amy was pregnant, he had no idea what they would do. Of course he would stick by her and support her, but they were both just seventeen years old. They both had dreams for the future that would never come to pass if they were tied down with a child at such a young age. And there was no telling what Dr. Brown, as well as Dr. and Mrs. Abbot's reactions would be. Ephram didn't even want to think about that! He just prayed with all his heart that this whole thing was a false alarm.

While Ephram was lying awake worrying, Amy was asleep, though her dreams were plagued with visions of what might come to pass should she be pregnant. In these dreams, Ephram had left her, her parents had disowned her, and she was raising a son by herself on the streets of Chicago. No one cared for her, no one even looked their way as her little boy cried out in hunger. When Amy finally awoke from that terrible nightmare, she was drenched in sweat and her pillow was wet with tears. She couldn't explain it, but the dream had seemed so real, almost as if it was a foretelling of the future.

A quick glance at the clock on her nightstand told Amy that it was nearly 5:30, the time that her alarm usually went off in the mornings. With a feeling of dread deep inside, she got up to face the day, a day that could possibly change her life forever.

Just before 7:30, Ephram pulled up in the Abbot driveway and honked the horn. Amy appeared a minute later with an anxious look on her face.

"Ok, I'm ready," she said as she climbed into the car. "Let's just get there and get this over with."

The two hour drive to Denver passed quietly, with neither Ephram nor Amy in a mood to say much. They were each anxious, tired, and scared out of their wits, but didn't know how to put those feelings into words. Amy tried to do some homework as Ephram concentrated on the road, but after reading the same page in her English book four times without comprehending anything, she threw it down in frustration.

Ephram, in an attempt to ease her anxiety, gave her hand a squeeze and offered a small smile. She returned it, but they both knew that the gesture held little comfort at the moment.

By 9:30 they had arrived in Denver and the Planned Parenthood center. Amy, anxious to get everything over with, quickly started to get out of the car. Ephram, however, stopped her by means of a hand on her shoulder.

"Amy," he said seriously, "I just want you to know that whatever happens in that office, I love you, and I'll support you. That's a promise. Got it?"

"Got it. I love you too, Ephram."

Amy and Ephram had both hoped for a quick appointment, but once inside they were forced to wait for nearly an hour before a doctor called Amy's name. Amy had decided that she wanted to go in by herself, so she gave Ephram a huge hug and then followed the nurse into the back.

With each passing moment that Ephram sat alone in the waiting room, he thought he might go crazy. _I just need to know!_ He thought. He picked up magazine after magazine and attempted to read, but nothing held his attention for more than a minute or two. He finally gave up and resorted to simply sitting and waiting. But as five minutes turned into ten minutes and then twenty minutes, Ephram was expecting his head to explode at any moment. He considered going for a walk outside, but not knowing how long the appointment was going to last, he stayed put inside.

Meanwhile, in the exam room, Amy was feeling basically the same as Ephram. The nurse had asked her the basic questions as to what was going on, how she was feeling, and so forth, and then proceeded to do a blood test. Unfortunately, the results were slow to come back. Amy had been alone in the room for nearly fifteen minutes, and she thought she might go insane at any moment.

The door suddenly opened, and the nurse who had first examined her walked in.

"Ms. Abbot?" She said, "I have your test results back."

"Wait!" Amy exclaimed. "I need my boyfriend in here for this. Could someone maybe get him for me? It's Ephram Brown."

The nurse nodded sympathetically, and left the room. She returned a minute later with Ephram, who wore an anxious look on his face. A look, Amy figured, must have matched her own at that moment.

"Alright, kids," the nurse said. "Here's the scoop."

Ephram squeezed Amy's hand and took a deep breath.

"Ms. Abbot is not pregnant."

Amy gave a little yelp. "I'm not? But...all the signs were there!"

"Amy, shut up, this is good!" Ephram exclaimed, laughing.

"I'm not quite done, you two, so hold the celebration." The nurse was looking at Amy and Ephram with a slightly amused look on her face. "You are not pregnant. However, tests indicate you have mononucleosis. Some of the symptoms you described to me, Ms. Abbot, such as the nausea, vomiting, and general feelings of being run-down are parallel. I'm going to advise you to get some serious rest in the next few weeks, and if possible schedule an appointment with your physician. Do either of you have any questions before we're done here?"

Ephram glanced at Amy, who just shrugged, so he said that they were set to go. With a smile, the nurse opened the door and gestured for the two to head out. Neither of them said anything until they had reached Ephram's car, whereupon Amy broke down again.

"Oh, my God, Ephram," she gasped. "I was so scared in there. What if I had really been pregnant?"

Ephram put his arms around his girlfriend and pulled her close.

"If you had been," he said, "I would have been with you every step of the way. Nothing can keep us apart, Amy, and I mean that." He kissed her on the top of the head and then put the car into gear. As he drove away from the Planned Parenthood building, Amy was slowly quieting down and drifting off. By the time they reached the interstate, she was sound asleep. Ephram was almost grateful for this, not only because he knew she was exhausted, but it also gave him some time to be alone with his thoughts.

_I don't know how we could have handled this if she'd been pregnant,_ he thought._ We're too young._ Ephram glanced over to where Amy slept, and smiled. _God, she is beautiful. Someday, someday I want this to become a reality, but not yet._

Little did he know that in her dreams, Amy was thinking the very same thing. She dreamed of a future where she and Ephram were happily married, with not just one, but three beautiful children. It was a celebration of some sort, with everyone from both of their families gathering together at Dr. Brown's home. There was laughter, togetherness, but most of all, love.


End file.
